Varaha Purana 81.21: Adhyaya 81, Shloka 21

Description of the Divine Mountain Abodes: Meru, Devakūṭa, and Kailāsa

Devanagari script

वृषभाङ्को महादेवः शङ्करो योगिनां वरः । अनेकगणभूतकोटिसहस्रवारो भगवान् अनादिपुरुषो व्यवस्थितः ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 81.21

Transliteration

vṛṣabhāṅko mahādevaḥ śaṅkaro yogināṁ varaḥ | anekagaṇabhūtakoṭisahasravāro bhagavān anādipuruṣo vyavasthitaḥ ||

Translation

महादेव शंकर भैंस पर सवार हैं। वो योगियों में सबसे बड़े हैं। भगवान अनादि हैं, शुरू से हैं। उनके साथ लाखों गण और भूत हैं।

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Word by Word

• vṛṣabha: bull
• vṛṣabha: Viśeṣaṇa (समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛṣabha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine; first member in compound

• aṅkaḥ: bull-marked (having the bull as emblem)
• aṅkaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṅka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; vṛṣabhāṅkaḥ = 'having a bull as mark/emblem' (बहुव्रीहि)

• mahādevaḥ: Mahādeva
• mahādevaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; 'the great god' (कर्मधारय)

• śaṅkaraḥ: Śaṅkara
• śaṅkaraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṅkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; apposition to mahādevaḥ

• yoginām: of yogins
• yoginām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yogin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural

• varaḥ: the best
• varaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; predicate/apposition: 'the best'

• aneka: many
• aneka: Viśeṣaṇa (समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aneka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Adjectival first member: 'many'

• gaṇa: host; troop
• gaṇa: Viśeṣaṇa (समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine; 'group/host' as compound member

• bhūta: beings
• bhūta: Viśeṣaṇa (समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter/Masculine; here as compound member meaning 'being/creature'

• koṭi: crore
• koṭi: Viśeṣaṇa (समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: koṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine; numeral unit 'crore' as compound member

• sahasra: thousand
• sahasra: Viśeṣaṇa (समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter; numeral unit 'thousand' as compound member

• vāraḥ: having countless hosts (crores and thousands) of beings
• vāraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāra (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; anekagaṇabhūtakoṭisahasravāraḥ = 'having many crores and thousands of hosts of beings' (बहुव्रीहि, descriptive epithet)

• bhagavān: the Blessed Lord
• bhagavān: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• anādi: beginningless
• anādi: Viśeṣaṇa (समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Adjectival first member: 'beginningless'

• puruṣaḥ: the beginningless Person
• puruṣaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; anādipuruṣaḥ = 'the beginningless person' (कर्मधारय)

• vyavasthitaḥ: is stationed; stands established
• vyavasthitaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-ava√sthā (धातु) + vyavasthita (कृदन्त)
• Form: Past participle (क्त/कृदन्त), Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; predicative with bhagavān/anādipuruṣaḥ

Speaker

Varāha

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Shaivism
• Yoga Philosophy

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It preserves a dense epithet-cluster for Śiva, valuable for studying Purāṇic Śaiva theology, iconographic vocabulary, and the integration of yogic ideals.

Which geographic location is identified?

No explicit location is embedded in this line; it continues the description of divine presence associated with sacred mountain settings in the surrounding passage.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse highlights yogic excellence and disciplined spiritual idealization (yogināṁ varaḥ) as a cultural-philosophical value rather than a prescriptive command.